What is Neck Pain

Neck pain can present in any of the seven cervical vertebrae (back bones) connecting the base of skull to the thoracic cage. As well as the cervical spine, muscles, ligaments, and soft tissues can also be a source of neck pain. In addition, other structures likethe trachea (wind pipe), blood vessels, thyroid gland, and lymph nodes are also found in the neck and can be a source of pain.Sometimes pain in the neck can result from structures (e.g. lung, heart) that are not in the neck) – this is called referred pain.

Statistics on Neck Pain

Neck pain is very common:

Around 10% of the adult population at any one time is suffering from a stiff neck;